I know - this is a Ferrari Forum and this is the Dino sub forum However - I trust you people and so I ask you for some thoughts I have a 2006 Porsche 911 - C4S - 6 speed - convertible - I bought it new here in LA at Beverly Hills Porsche I have only put 21K miles on it to this point - I obviously don't drive it much I have always serviced it at the dealer which as we all know is an often frustrating experience and has led me to have to call them out on some over - billing I called them yesterday and couldn't reach them - many times - clicked through lots of auto menu options only to have the call die so I found a Porsche service shop in the Valley called HOUSE ... read their site ... decided to take the chance Now - what I know is that the car needs a clutch switch - it started to have a big delay when I would turn the key - I would have to wait many seconds - like many many many before it would crank with the internet I was able to diagnose the issue and saw the part was not expensive so I called HOUSE - they were nice - could take the car right away and I drove it out there - I liked their shop - they said they would look it all over and report back ....
so NOW I just got the e-mail which I take as the "help us pay our rent" e-mail let me share with you the laundry list of suggested repair / maintenance Starter enable switch $309 (this is the repair I came in for) Coolant expansion tank $1079 Front brakes complete $1307 Brake fluid service $235 Coolant pump $1441 Drive belt in conjunction with coolant pump $60 B/G Induction service $325 Front bumper grille re securing $262.50 Major service $1350 Transmission gear oil change $394 Front awd controller oil change $234 Front differential service $226 Rear differential service $226
any advice ? I know that I should probably go thru all of the maintenance records - they are in the glove box of the car of course I want to treat this car better than I do with tax that's about 8200 dollars in repairs ... I know this is the hustle I've lived it before this is so I feel great about spending only 4k on some of this stuff, right ?
I have a 996T, and can vouch for the fact that Porsche dealers charge by a crazy "schedule" and pretty much all independent shops charge within X% of those rates (basically just lower enough to keep their bays occupied). Most times, I just use the "recommended service" list as a guide for what to do as I have time over the weekends... I will say, that the costs for each of the individual listed services looks pretty modest by PCar standards.
It looks like most of these things are fluids. What is in the major service for 1300 ? I would think that would be fluids.
update i paid them $308 to replace the clutch / ignition switch and drove the car home - it ran like a top i will have my friend put the car on his lift and i will loom for fluid leaks etc I may do some of these things ... but I actually used one of those "ask a mechanic" websites and paid 26 busk to talk to a Porsche mechanic who went thru the list of repairs and said things like - "that's tank is a 150 dollar part and that's 1.5 hours of labor...so even if it's 200/hr that should be 550 - not 1400 " so I was happy with my decision to bring the car home and by the way the service guys were really nice - I know they need to make a buck - but I though 8000 bucks was a bit much - I guess i do need to look into what the 20k porsche service entails thanks for the advice folks
Everyone needs to make a buck, but it should be in proportion to the work needed and performed. So tired of these dealers that think that because you worked for a expensive car that they are entitled to a larger part of your earned money than deserved. they seem to just fish for suckers.....
If you are inclined to DIY the work, Porsche sure makes it easy to access their cars' internals. My GT3T has 17 screws and two alignment pins to remove the rear bumper, which is required for air filter change.
I went the other day for a VW Tiguan tranny update (free) for my daughter's car, and in passing, just asked how much the labour rate was....$200 x Hour. They will never, ever see her car again. Guaranteed. Unless it is a recall. I think that's insane. Regards, Alberto
Well, the nice old lady that bought any VW, Toyota, et al., got a great deal at the Dealer, or even at Costco, will then get whacked at the going rate, after all, what choice has she? It is becoming sort of as the cost of printing cartridges vs. the printer. Which is the real business? I agree that a mechanic at a dealerhip will make well deservedly 1/2 or slightly less of that $200, but that is $16 K per month, hmmmm. Yes, I know he has a wife, an ex-wife or two, kids, a mortgage, The one that bugs me is the dealership. Multiply that amount times what? 10, 15, 20 mechanics? Besides, you have to make an appointment, and if you are lucky, we'll call you back asap... Plus, they do sell a car or two Regards, Alberto